Engineering students lauded for performance in and outside of the classroom

OPEFE Scholarship Recipients pose with Asif Khan, chair of the Windsor-Essex chapter of Professional Engineers Ontario, and UWindsor's Dr. Ofelia Jianu and Dr. Randy Bowers.

High academic performances and leadership skills landed 21 University of Windsor engineering students scholarships from the Ontario Professional Engineers Foundation for Education.

Asif Khan, chair of the Windsor-Essex chapter of Professional Engineers Ontario, awarded students on behalf of the foundation during a ceremony at the Ed Lumley Centre for Engineering Innovation for recipients who received scholarships in the past three years.

“For me, the most significant benefit has been that the financial support has allowed me to fully dedicate my time and energy into succeeding in my studies,” said Steven Vrantsidis, a recipient of the foundation’s $1,500 Entrance Scholarship.

The Ontario Professional Engineers Foundation for Education (OPEFE) is a charitable foundation run by a volunteer board of directors that provides scholarships to encourage engineering students to pursue careers in the profession. The scholarships are financed through donations from professional engineers in Ontario, as well as corporate and individual donations.

“These scholarships demonstrate the commitment of the profession to its future leadership and to professional excellence,” Khan said.

In the past three decades, OPEFE has donated more than $130,000 to engineering students at the University of Windsor. The foundation has established two annual scholarships that award six UWindsor undergraduate students who demonstrate academic excellence and display leadership skills through involvement in extracurricular or volunteer activities.

The 2015-2017 recipients had a chance to share advice with a room of undergraduate students during the ceremony.

“Work hard because whatever you get out of your university education will be what you put in,” Vrantsidis said.

Israa El-Sabbagh received a $1,500 Undergraduate Scholarship.The industrial engineering student recommended networking with professors.

“It’s is really important. So is connecting with engineers in the community, volunteering and remaining active in the community,” she added.

Alex Michael Smith (2017), Eric Walo (2016), Vicki Bousaba (2015) received the Professional Engineers Gold Medal, which is awarded to an engineering student who attains the highest cumulative average throughout their undergraduate term.

To learn more about the foundation, visit the OPEFE website.

 

OPEFE Scholarship Recipients 2015-2018

2017-18
Alex Smith
Israa El-Sabbagh
Heinrich Friesen
Saima Imroz
David Lee
Helen Mulugeta
Alessandro Kerr

2016-17
Eric Walo
Omar Ahmed
Shreya Patki
Crystal Roma
Liam Simone
Nicholas MacMackin
Yasser Hamadani

2015-16
Vicki Bousaba
Johnathan Lupulescu
Michael Schlosser
Eric Parker
Ali Saegh
Steven Vrantsidis
Courtney Jones